Japan’s biggest tasting of Australian wine returns this week
Tokyo: This Wednesday (3 September) sees the return of the Wine Australia Tasting (WAT) at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, the biggest trade tasting in Japan with nearly 500 trade and media guests expected to attend.
Held at the start of the northern autumn, the timing of the event is designed to precede the peak of Japan’s wine consumption from mid-autumn and throughout winter.
Guests will taste close to 300 Australian wines of exceptional quality and discover their diverse styles, stories and personalities at this large format tasting. There are 48 brands registered to participate including McWilliam’s, Vasse Felix, First Drop, Chain of Ponds, Brown Brothers and Sirromet.
Through the WAT, exhibiting importers and wineries will have the valuable opportunity to (re)connect with Japanese buyers and local wine media.
Wine Australia’s Regional Manager Asia Hiro Tejima said events like the WAT create new opportunities for brands to engage an increasingly sophisticated Japanese wine consumer as well as an emerging demographic of younger wine drinkers.
'The biggest opportunity in the Japanese market is building on the perception of Australian wine and creating an emotional connection between the brand and the wine drinker. It becomes about more than just the quality of the wine, brands need to also engage people with the story of the wine, where it comes from, the people who made it and the terroir of the region.'
The coming ratification of the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), expected to make access to the Japanese market easier for winemakers, will also encourage a more balanced approach by brands to the greater Asian region.
'It’s encouraging to see the WAT strongly supported by the Australian wine community. It’s our biggest event in the Japanese market and we’re again fully subscribed with almost 50 individual wine brands participating.'
Alongside the WAT, an education workshop and guided tastings will be offered by Wine Australia’s certified A+ Australian Wine Trade Specialists. They’ll offer practical tips to local trade on promoting Australian wine in the retail and restaurant environments. The workshop will also be streamed live via Ustream and can be viewed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wine-australia (note that the workshop will be in Japanese only).
Follow the conversation from the WAT live by searching #AussieWine on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.